Your Hand That Brought Change
by MiracleCosmo
Summary: AU. Based off of KagePro. Green had never left his his house ever since the incident two years ago. Burying himself with work, when he finally goes outside he meets a mysterious group of teens with magical eye powers. Green knew his life was going to change, but for the better had yet to be determined. He could only blame the Pesky Girl. Guest Starring Soul/Lyra!
1. 0: Prologue

**A/N: Hello and thank you for taking the time to read this story! MC here, and welcome to my first story ever. To readers and writers, please take care of me and help me out in my grammar. Anyway this is using the Pokemon Manga!Characters, and certain aspects of Kagepro. To people familiar with it, I'll only be using some elements from it (do not own) but those characters won't be in this story. To all those thinking "what", you do not need prior knowledge of it to read the story as everything would be explained in my own terms. Though I highly suggest looking up the Wiki, it's very good. Please check warnings for more details, and thanks to everyone who actually read this. After this long note, A/N would always be found on the bottom. I do suggest you to read them for more information or love of randomness. Now, enjoy! **

**WARNING: Focuses on first three generations of pokedex holders, includes Soul/Lyra, AU, the following shippings are oldrivalshipping, specialshipping,mangaquestshipping, soulsilvershipping, franticshipping, but the shippings aren't the main focus, NO real life POKEMON, but legendaries are regarded as old myths like dragons, sporadic updates due to busy author and random Pokémon references. **

**Rated T for: Precaution, language, darkish themes, deaths**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Kagepro or anything familiar. They belong to GameFreak, or the authors of the manga, and Jin respectively. I do own my interpretations and the plot twists. This would be applied to the whole story.**

* * *

Your Hand That Brought Change

**0: Prologue**

* * *

_"No matter how much it hurts now, someday you will look back and realize your struggles changed your life for the better." _

_-Unknown_

* * *

_Once upon a time, in a forest tucked away from society, it was rumored to inhabit a monster that brought harm to the villagers. Hunters would go in only to return with numerous bite marks and poachers would come out insane. Some were even rumored to not have come out of the forest. The forest was then declared cursed and was generally avoided, save for the few brave, or foolish, souls._

_However, this isn't about the story of a flesh eating monster nor the courageous men daring enough to defeat said beast._

_Once upon a time, there was a little boy who was lonely in life._

_Outcasted because of his looks, the forest had became a home for the little boy. It was unknown of how the little boy ended up in the forest, but he was resigned to stay in the place where he first woke up. He didn't remember much of his past, but if he extremely concentrated, he could recall warm, strong hugs and gentle touches from long, long ago. _

_The forest was a lonely place that was null of humans, though he made friends with all the forest dwellers. The animals soon became his family and while he was not extremely smart nor intelligent, the little boy was determined to protect his new home to the best of his capabilities. _

_It wasn't his fault that the humans were injured, that those who dared hurt his family were forever frozen in time, or he was cursed with his looks. __The little boy was a monster; a monster that could not grow, age, and die. _

_"I wish for a friend!" the little boy cried, envy burning in him every time he thinks of the village kids. To have warm hugs given daily by parents, an ear to listen to his complaints and then console him, but most of all, to feel loved. The forest dwellers were family to him, but that doesn't stop him wishing for another little boy as a friend._

* * *

_Years passed as springs merged to summers, the summers to autumns, until his prayers had finally been answered on a crispy afternoon. It wasn't friendship at first sight since while the little boy wanted a friend, he was wary of all humans. But that day, a sickly human wandered into the forest in search of an escape._

_The sickly individual was tired of his lifestyle, of the jeers from his peers and the pressure suffocating him in his village. Yet, even with a weak health, the boy also had a burning determination incomparable to others. So when he saw the clearly lonely little boy, he was he was determined to befriend him. The sickly boy was also very lonely, yet he could see something worth fighting for, anything to chase the dark grief away in the little boy's eyes._

_"Um. Hello!"_

_..._

_"Who are you?"_

_..._

_"What's with that look, I'm not crazy!"_

_..._

_"Yes, I'm real. I'm a human."_

_..._

_"Um. I'm sorry if we got off on the wrong foot, but I'll really like to be your friend!"_

_..._

_"It's okay if you can't grow, you're not a monster to me! The villagers... they singled me out because of my frail health. So let's be outcasts together!"_

* * *

_The little boy had finally found the friend he was looking for, just as the sickly boy had found someone who wouldn't judge him by his health. Both could only thank the deities above for letting the two meet. The little boy wished for those days to never end. But most importantly, the sickly boy gave him the greatest gift of all._

_"Wow! That's a pretty stone you have on your forehead. Funny that it's in both of our favorite color. By the way, you never told me your name!"_

_..._

_"You don't have one? Then is it alright if I called you _Emerald_? Since the stone looks like one and that's my favorite shade of green! _

Emerald_, his new name. The little boy had been called many things, monster being the most common one. And the forest dwellers had always called him Child. But to be called something thoughtful by his new friend, it felt like giving him a new identity. Emerald was a pretty name, and the little boy was forever thankful for being given something that cannot be stolen._

_The little boy was finally happy after his years of solitude. Though he lost his memories, his past, and his identity, he had gained a new family, friend, and name in return. This time, he was not going to let his precious privileges be taken away. He was going to ensure that the peaceful days would never end, no matter what it takes._

...

...

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**A/N: So how was it, good, bad, or why so vague MC and giving us a random mini story? Well, Emerald is introduced, and bet ya guys can guess the second boy. Anyway, those two won't come in the story until way later, but I will not neglect them! As of now, this would be the subplot that gives a slight background that will later influence the future plot. Next chapter would be the main story, starring the protagonist, Green!**

**I'm not the best person in grammar so I'll appreciate it if I get comments on them. Specifically my tenses, I hate those... The next chapter is going to be a lot longer than this, and I'm halfway writing through it on paper. My goal is to post next time on that certain day. Kagepro fans, you know that day. Newbies, that means sometime next month. I saw some of my favorite authors do this, so to viewers, Question Time!**

**Question: What color do you think describes you in general? **

**Thanks for reading and have a nice day, everyone!**

**EDIT: Changed the format using line breaks (Finally!) and punctuation from Chapter 1-4. Happy Reading!**


	2. Act I: I: A Mad World

Your Hand That Brought Change

**Act I: I: A Mad World**

* * *

_"._.._ Cause everything has changed..."_

* * *

'Where am I?'_ Green wondered as he glanced around his current settings. What greeted his view was an abandoned park that had a baseball diamond taking up the majority of the field. Multiple baseball equipments were scattered all over the place, and a playground set was placed far off the side. Callings of crows could be heard, like one would find in a cliché horror movie. _

'This, this is Pallet Town Park... Sure brings back memories. Yet,'_ forest green eyes looked up, _"last I recall, the sky is blue.'

_Indeed, in contrast to the baby blue found during the day or pitch black during the night or even the rare moments where the sky shows splashes of pink, orange, or gray, the sky was a crimson red. The sun was blazing downward, and with the ominous red as a backdrop, it was an intimidating sight that left spots in Green's vision._

_Ruffling his spiky hair with his right hand, Green sweated a little more at the strange sight beholded to him. Moving his eyes away from the sky, Green scanned the baseball diamond again to see if he missed any hints that would explain his current situation. _

_This time, he spotted two figures located on the small hill that could oversee the whole park. Moving closer, Green was surprised to make out one of the figure as himself, except younger. Next to him, the other figure was enshrouded in shadows, though it seems to have similar body structures. _

'Well, if I'm seeing this then it must be a memory - No, wait, the sky is red. A dream, then? It explains the eeriness.'_ Observing the younger him scowl at the other figure in an argument, Green inwardly snorted. _'I was a real brat back then.'

_Adjusting his eyesight a little more to clear the previous spots from his eyes, the other figure had slightly shifted from the shadows, allowing Green to see a flash of color. The color red._

'Wait... red?'_ It wasn't just any random shade of red, but a color that he could familiarize with a certain baseball cap._

_Green's eyes widened as pieces of a lost memory rapidly clipped into place. Now directly looking at the figure's eyes (redred_red_), recognition**  
**dawned onto Green. Memories of a battered baseball cap, a pure white lily bouquet, and an anguish cry echoing on a raining day._

'NO! That figure, it's...!'

* * *

_Ring! Ring~ RINGGG_

"Gah!" Green exclaimed, sitting up immediately with a hand clutched towards his pounding chest. Droplets of sweat slithered down from his head as his heart was racing miles per second. Taking hasty breaths, Green blankly stared at his ceiling for couple of minutes until he had deemed his heart to have gone back to a steady pace. Now calm, Green stifled the urge to groan into his pillow for waking up in a frenzy due to a dream.

'_That dream, what was all that about? Was it a nightmare?'_ Thinking back, Green concentrated on his memories but was only rewarded with images of various shades of red.

Laying back down to bed, Green shuts his eyes to continue his train of thoughts, only to be interrupted by a revolting cheerful voice coming from his computer.

"Oi! Wakey-wakey~ The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it's such a beautiful day. You know what you should do? Go outside!"

Green resisted the temptation to block his ears with his pillow, knowing that it's useless to block the nagging voice. "What do you want?"

"Me? I want a lot of stuff! Like that new boy band CD that just came out from the music store across the block, oh, or this lovely pair of sapphire earrings, and especially a kiss from that hot actor that starred in this show. My, he is one fine piece of meat!"

Green rose from his bed, having given up on anymore sleep with the voice set out to provoke him. "It was a rhetorical question."

"I know. Doesn't stop me from wanting them all!"

Green ignored the voice, setting out to grab a clean set of clothes and making his way to the bathroom.

"Hey, stop ignoring me! Don't you know it's rude to ignore a lady?"

_Slam!_

The response was a slam of the bathroom door.

'_Honestly, what is with that woman thinking she could barge into my life and owning it,' _Green thought, starting the sink faucets and preparing to brush his teeth._ 'Waltzing in like she owns the place and constantly pestering me nonstop. And the worst thing is that I can't get rid of her! I rue the day that virus popped her existence over to my computer...'_

_One Year Ago..._

_Green had been scrolling through his emails to see if the response he had been waiting for had been replied. Placing commercials and old emails into the trash, Green had reached up to an email by an anonymous sender. _

_To: Green Oak_

_Sender: N/A_

_Topic: Open me :)_

_(1) attachment _

_Green was not an idiot that would open random mails sent by people he does not know, let alone the prank mails from his few acquaintances. Who in their right mind would open any suspicious email from an unavailable sender, let alone one that has a smiley face on it? __Grabbing his mouse and maneuvering it to delete the suspicious email, the arrow suddenly frozed just as it was about to reach the option._

_Confused, Green moved his mouse few more times, but it failed to control the arrow on the screen. Then frustrated, he experimentally knocked on the computer until an obnoxious pink smoke poofed out of nowhere and completely obscured the whole page._

_"The hell?" Green muttered._

_Waiting for the smoke to clear up, the last thing he was expecting to see was a mini girl in the screen. _

_Wearing a teal tank top with a sleeveless black shirt under it, the top hugged the girl's curvy figure showing off all the attractive features of her body. The blue miniskirt reached midway of her thighs as her legs were donned with teal leggings. Dark blue headphones were the only accessory found as it was snuggled around her neck, though her hands were covered by white gloves. _

_However, those were the only normal features of the figure. Where legs should have stretched to meet with feet were instead pixels fading in and out from the ends of the legs. Long hair that reached up to the middle of her back was a neon blue color. Two huge chunks of pixels covered up the majority of both her cheeks. _

_Overall the girl was beautiful, that is if you were into science fiction or anime. To Green, her image just screamed 'suspicious!'. _

_While Green was scrutinizing the sudden figure, the virus(?) opened up her eyes to scan the new sight. Forest green eyes collided with electric blue eyes, eyes that looked so alien and out of this world. Then the girl gave a ear-to-ear grin that, now he looked back to, had been mischievous and evil. Green should have gotten the clue then; that would've saved him future torture. _

_"Hello, boy~"_

True to his intuition, the virus had been nothing but trouble ever since she appeared in his computer. Green had tried everything in his many attempts of getting rid of her, including and not limited to: the old fashioned way, wiping his computer data, using different electronics, and even just avoiding them in general. But the virus was just like a cockroach that wouldn't stay dead. She had continued to pester him like her life goal was to annoy him to death. Green even had to ask his sister's fiancé for help, something he grudgingly had to do as it was his last resort. However, that didn't work either.

_Glancing, in what seems to be a bored manner, at Bill observing his computer in various angles and typing computer codes that he hold no interest in deciphering, Green was internally hoping with all his might that it'll work. While he may not like Bill, there was a reason why he was a world famous hacker and inventor, and this was the only plan Green had left. _

_Couple of minutes later, Bill sighed and directed his attention towards an anxious Green. While he looked slumped, there was a gleam in Bill's eyes._

_"Dis, dis is marvelous! Da designs, da arrangements of da pixels, even da fact dat she can experience opinions and emotions. I've nevah seen anythin' like dis before!" By the end, stars were exploding in Bill's eyes._

_Green felt a knot of dread forming in his stomach as he was seeing the direction where the conversation was heading towards. "You can get rid of her, right?" _

_At this, Bill gave a pitying look towards the young teen. Which meant... "Sorry, I've tried everythin' but nothin' works."_

_Green couldn't take it anymore. After months of failed attempts to drive the virus out of his life, he had finally admitted defeat to the new permanent fixture in his daily routines. Slumping in his chair and placing his hands over his face in a moment of defeat, Green gave a resigned sigh. In his laptop, the virus was smiling in triumph over her win._

_Turning towards the screen, Bill gave a questioning look towards the virus. "By da way, ya nevah told me yer name, young lady." _

_Fluttering her eyelashes at him, the virus gave a tinkling laugh. "Call me Azul."_

'_Azul. The irritating virus that should know one's privacy. Azul might not even be her real name, it can be Aoi or Blue or even a common name like Anna. All I know is that she doesn't have much of a life other than bothering me constantly. Still...' _Stepping out of the showers, he dressed into a black tee shirt and cargo pants, then combed his hair. _'How did she get here in the first place? And more importantly, why me?'_

Satisfied with his looks, Green stepped out of his bathroom only to enter in a middle of another one of Azul's rant.

"... and honestly, you look like sticks and bones! Your skin is also pale since it's been _two years_ that you went outside. What do those fans of yours see in you that makes your mailbox get swarmed everyday? You need to get under the sun or else you'll become an awkward, antisocial shut-in!"

Green gave an unimpressed look at Azul. "I'm not awkward."

Azul returned the look at him. "Yes, you are! No one knows, nor wants to know, the nerdy stuff you study like, say, the differences between a turtle and a tortoise."

"Turtles are found more commonly found in aquatic landscapes, while tortoises are land animals. They also do not have webbed feet as they do not need it to help swim, unlike turtles."

"Ugh," Azul groaned. "That's my point! The two are basically the same thing, yet here you are spewing out facts that no one cares. My point is that you need to go outside!"

Here comes another round of the old "Go Outside!" argument.

Green glared. "For the last time, no! Besides, I need to work on the research paper-"

"That's due six months from now?"

Funny that the statement didn't come out of Azul's mouth, though it was halfway open, but from the figure standing at the entrance of the bedroom.

"Daisy!" "Big Sis!" cried Green and Azul respectively.

Standing in a graceful posture similar to royalties, Daisy Oak was a beautiful young woman who had recently came home for the summer from a prestigious university located in Jublife City, Sinnoh. Having a rising career as a doctor and a part-time assistant for her grandpa, Professor Oak, she was a famous role model for all kids. Holding a cup of steaming tea in her hands just made her image looked even more sophisticated.

"So little brother, what's this about working on a paper that is due a long time from now?" Daisy asked in a voice dripped with honey.

Green slightly paled at hearing the tone of his sister's voice, but still kept a calm mask. "It's a very important paper that must be submitted as soon as possible."

"Bull! That paper is not even required to be send early, let alone six months, seeing as that's the earliest it can be sent!" Azul was again rudely ignored by Green.

"Azul is right you know, little brother. You should go outside to relax and take a break. It is a beautiful weather today," Daisy lightly urged.

Green turned away from his sister. "Hn. Don't care."

Daisy was usually a calm and very patient person that people said could rival a saint. However, it was also said to never anger her or face the wrath of Satan himself. And frankly, Daisy was getting sick of her little brother's childish attitude to go outside.

With a smile just a bit wider, and sharper, Daisy gave a crescent eye shaped look towards Green with what seems to be a sparkling background behind her.

Green felt the air around him dropped few degrees.

"Ah. Shame how the weather does not seem to appeal to you. Unfortunately, that option is not available anymore. I need a new blender for the kitchen, and since I'm so _busy_, you will have to buy me one from the Goldenrod Department Mall."

Green send an irritated look towards his sister. "And if I refuse?"

By now, sparkles and flowers could practically be emitted from Daisy. "Well, if you refuse, then you'll need to try out my experimental teas."

Green's back stiffened as a look of horror dawned onto his face.

Daisy was not only famous for her intelligence, but also for her 'to-die-for teas'. She could make a range of different types of tea, each tasting more amazing than the last. Her Earl Grey had placed 2nd at the last year's Kanto Tea Competition. Yet, if one knows how to make wonderful tea, they also know what to do if they desired for an opposite effect. Daisy's teas were literally 'to-die-for' in both positive and negative views.

Green could still remember that stomach ache he had when he was little for ruining one of her school projects. Then there was also that one guy Daisy caught pickpocketing from someone.

'_I never did know what happened to that guy. But that was one life-scarring stomach ache.' _Just remembering the memories made Green want to shiver, as he deliberately glanced at the innocent looking cup of tea grasped in his sister's hands in a new light. _'Who knows if it's one of that awful brew!'_

Azul snickered behind the screen, though she was also internally terrified of the older Oak sibling. While it was fun to watch the tea consumer's faces, she did not want to experience it herself! That was one plus for being a digital being.

Releasing a small sigh, Green grudgingly agreed to Daisy's request without words. It was a life and death matter, so he doesn't have much of a choice.

The sparkling background faded out, though Daisy's smile was as bright as before. "Great! So here's some money, your cellphone, a map, the train pass, and a coat since the train ride can be cold. So have fun, don't come back before noon, and bye!"

Dropping said items into the arms of a bewildered Green, he was shoved to the front door. Quickly giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, Daisy slammed the door right in front of his face, leaving him to the mercy of the outside world.

"What."

...

...

Behind the closed door, Daisy gave a sigh of relief for actually succeeding in driving Green out of the house. Straightening her posture, Daisy made her way back to the kitchen to reheat her, now cold, cup of tea, a sad smile adorning her face.

"Oh, little brother, if you could just accept it's not your fault and move on. He would not have wanted all this."

* * *

"Ohohoho, I can't believe you were literally kicked out of your own house!"

"Shut it!"

"Nope, don't want to!"

Green was regretting agreeing to his sister's request the second he stepped outside and into the sweltering sun. The heat was torturous, mosquitoes were everywhere, and just seeing a face of a random person passing was sending shocks into his system. It's been so long since he actually been outside and see real live _people _other than Daisy and Gramps.

'_Have I really been isolated that long to make me this jittery around people?'_ Not that Green was obviously displaying his actions despite his thoughts, but he really can't have another item to add into the list for Azul to bug him about.

"I'm surprised you haven't melted into a puddle yet, seeing as you barely had any extreme exercising being in that house of yours."

Then, there was the fact that he was stuck with Azul talking to him non-stop through his earbuds in attempts of conversations. If Green had decided to ignore her and not use his cellphone, she would definitely make sure to yell in speaker phone embarrassing lies about him for all public ears to hear. Sticking to communication with her through his earbuds was the only option of not portraying himself as a loony.

Still, Green too was surprised of that fact that his physical stamina was alright, but was nonetheless thankful of his prior years in training for baseball and martial arts. His Sensei* would be ashamed if he saw the lack of effort he putted in maintaining his body.

'_Well, at least I do crunches and push-ups in my room to make up for it,' _Green thought privately. "Hn. Pesky Girl, you're underestimating me." Not that he'll admit it of course.

_"The 10:15 train leaving from Pallet Town will be departing in five minutes! I repeat, the 10:15 train leaving from Pallet Town will be departing in five minutes!"_ An intercom announced in the train station. At the sound of announcement, Green walked faster towards the train. "Well, that's my train."

The Magnet Train was a widely used train that traveled between the two regions of Kanto and Johto and which stops at selected cities and towns. Pallet Town was the beginning stop that ended all the way to Goldenrod City, Johto. Built three years ago, the Magnet Train had been closed until recently with few renovations. Being a sleek train consisting of twelve carts, and rumored to go up to the speed of 340 miles per hour, it was one of the symbols representing the bond between Kanto-Johto and was nicknamed _White Bullet_.

Green settled into the third cart, glad to find a window seat without anyone occupying the surrounding seats. The red chair he was sitting in was also very comfortable...

"Wow, Greenie, isn't this train huge!" Azul cried, fighting to see the whole train despite her limited vision behind Green's cellphone screen.

"It's not that big."

"Aww, you're such a spoilsport."

Again the intercom blared to life. _"Attention to all passengers, we'll be departing from Pallet Town. Next stop, Viridian City!"_

'_According to my calculations, if the speed of the train is true, it'll probably take about two hours. A good amount of time to take a nap,' _Green thought, still sleepy from waking up due to the unknown dream.

"Hey, Greenie, what should we talk about during the trip? How about boys~" Azul teased.

"Be quiet, Pesky Girl. I'm trying to sleep."

Azul pouted. "Eh? You're no fun."

By then, Green had droned out Azul's voice to the best of his capability until it became one with the background's. Heavy eyelids wavered in place for brief seconds and instantly, he was out like a candle.

* * *

_BAM! _A noise shook Green awake, alarm running in his system. _'What's going on?' _Green thought, senses immediately alert and eyes quickly scanning his surroundings to find the source of the noise. Chatters were scattered all over the place, though he saw new figures dresses in black. Something was wrong.

"Azul, what's happen-"

_BAM!_ Another explosion occurred, except Green now recognized it to be a gun shot. Silence reigned in the air at the sight of a smoking handgun held in one of the men in black.

The man smiled, except it was an unkind one that ran warning bells in Green's mind. He and the other figures in black wore half a mask to cover their identities, a bloody red R standing out from their chests. A familiar logo that Green had seen in newspapers before.

Cries could be heard amongst the crowd he was in, as some people recognized the situation they were in as well. Green was tempted to groan with them as well for the development of the new annoyance. _'Why? Of all the times I set my foot in the outside world, and this happens. Against what odds?!'_

Yellowed teeth were still twisted in a smile towards all, but no good intentions were promised in it. It was a smile of victory as he was able to grab all's attention.

The intercom boomed and shattered the silence, except it was not the kind voice of a female attendant. This voice was clearly male and high-pitched.

_"Ahem. Testing, testing, one, two, three~ Ah, well to all passengers on board, we are Team Rocket and we'll be hijacking the Magnet Train! And you, elite guests, are our hostages!"_

...

...

* * *

_ Sensei: Japanese for teacher. While I'll be using American pronouns, Green's teacher, Chuck, leads a dojo so it's plausible. Plus, since Kagepro and Pokemon Adventures originate from Japan, some aspects will be included._

* * *

**A/N: And a wild horde of Team Rockets Grunts appear! Hey guys, MC here and Happy Friday the Heat-Haze Day! Because who's scared of Friday the Thirteen when there's a time looping day, nope, not this author, especially of both days... Horoscope of the day, do NOT try any new activities out of your comfort zone. Of course if you don't know what I'm talking about then moving on!**

**Also, how you like the story pic? I sketched it myself since I can't digitally draw, but I almost cried when I saw FF offer picture editing. Especially the option to just... bluify everything. No pun intended. This is how I imagine Azul to look like, and for those who don't know Spanish but recognize the picture... that's Blue. More details will be given of why Blue's name is this or even why she's a digital being, but you can theorize. Her name is not Azul just because I got lazy in naming. It'll be explained in the future.**

**By the way, if you think Green was too dramatic, my reason is that this is in his mindset, and in the manga it never did focus on his inner thoughts. For me, everyone can be dramatic especially in what believes to be the most private part of you. It was fun to type Daisy though; she always portrayed to be nice yet I feel like she's one of those cool sister that seems to be able to do anything.**

**I've asked this before, but I wasn't responded so I'll ask again. Question time! **

**Question: What color do you think represent you the best? **

**If no one answers, I'll do a different question next time. If anyone interested in Kagepro, I published a oneshot around the same time as this. So go ch****eck it out!**

**Well that's it from this author with too much time on hands. My summer vacation is already halfway over, then school happens. May someone from above help me for I am so doomed. Thanks for reading, everyone, and have a nice day! **


	3. II: Operation Magnet Train

Your Hand That Brought Change

**II: Operation Magnet Train **

* * *

_"Who asks whether the enemy was defeated by strategy or valor?" _

_-Virgil_

* * *

Green stared at the intercom in disbelief. Of course it was a hijacking, with all the black dressed grunts and the smoking gun. What was the guy thinking in stating the obvious, that this was a trip to the mall?

The intercom continued on. _"No one makes a move, if you do, then things would get ugly. Wouldn't want that to happen, right? Anywho, this is how it works. All kids are to be led to the last two carts where they'll be restrained like everyone else. From this point on, struggling and talking would be prohibited. If you do, well..."_

What seems to be the leading grunt smiled much wider, carelessly showing off the handgun still in his possession.

_"You'll be punished." _

Green winced at the ominous implication held in that statement.

The voice instantly went back to a lighter tone. _"But that's okay! As long as the police cooperates and give us what we want, you'll be released in a hour or so. No struggling then, wouldn't want blood on our hands~ I'll leave you to your own business now, so bye-bye."_

With a last crackle, the intercom was once again silenced. Now all attention were placed on the leading grunt. "You heard what he said, all kids younger than eighteen follow me!"

Those of the requirements grudgingly followed the grunt as more grunts surrounded all sides. While the harsh silence hung in the air, Green's mind was racing through the many scenarios that can happen. _'This is bad, if I was alone then it would be easy to overpower the grunt for the gun and get out of here. However, other civilians are here that can become obstacles and easy hostages. Plus, it is unknown if the other grunts have weapons on them as well. This is Team Rocket we are talking about, so it's best to go along for now.'_

Team Rocket was an underground syndicate that usually centered around drug dealing. However, recent developments had shown reports of unusual activities conducted by them that was out of their area. These days, the newspapers were all about the crimes conducted by them like thievery, genetic experiments, gang fights, and, Green winced, murders. The latest article was about a single mother found with her skull crushed in her house at Lavender Town. Some precious items were declared missing, and the four-year-old boy found in the scene of the crime was sent to the nearest orphanage.

_'Yep,' _Green thought as ropes were dug into his wrists, though the pain was incomparable to the heartbreaking scenes of kids torn out of parents' grasps._ 'Now is not the time to take actions. Not yet.' _

* * *

Around tens of kids were squeezed together in the last cart with a lesser amount of kids were placed in the cart next to it. The sounds of the wheel turning could be heard, though nothing was coming out of the kids' mouths. Sniffles were heard everywhere, and while snots were dripping out of their noses, they were incapable of wiping them away. Even though Green was as worried as all of them, that doesn't excuse the bacteria that seemed to be rolling in the air.

"I-I want my Mommy!" a girl yelled, as the pressure finally gotten to her. With her open wailing, this started off a chain reaction of crying kids. Amongst all their screeching, Green could imagine that he busted one of his eardrums.

"I'm scared, where's Mama?"

"I want my Poppy!"

"WAHHH!"

_'Uggh! I'm not sure what's going to kill me first, Team Rocket or all these annoying cries!' _Green venomously thought._ 'Make it stop!'_

"Gyahh! Stop it you annoying brats!"

"Pipe down your voices, else I'll make ya!"

"Wait! It was ordered to not shoot anyone until the one hour have pass!"

"At this rate, I'll be doing a favor for all!"

"Someone get Executive Orm!"

'At_ least Team Rocket seems to be having troubles as well. But there's a name mentioned; that's a start. So who's Orm?'_

Beside Green, a boy was trying to hold in his laughter as much as possible. He looked like was about to bust a gut with the way he was exaggeratingly having his shoulders shake from the force of not laughing. His yellow and black hat shook as well, though the bill was able to shadow his face from view.

Green turned his head to the boy, annoyed that the chaos seems to be amusing him at a time like this. At his rate, the boy would most definitely be shot for finding humor in the grunts' miseries. "You should stop laughing."

The boy instantly stopped, and tilted his head towards Green. The dark gold eyes under his messy black bangs seemed amused about what Green just said. His eyes looked like it was looking through his soul and an out of place grin was spreading wider.

An eyebrow was raised by the boy as he said in an exaggerated tone, "Oh? How kind of you to be concerned over a stranger. Kind sir, what's your name?"

Green deadpanned at the boy. "Why should I tell a stranger?"

But the boy seemed to ignore him. "Well, I'm Gold, and from now on I dub you thee Serious Guy!"

Green's glare grew fiercer. "Quit acting so relaxed in this situation! And what's with the nickname, my name is Green."

The boy, now known as Gold, continued on, again ignoring what Green just said. "Ah, it's okay! We'll be out in no time, so quit being so serious. At this rate, you're gonna end up as a Silver-clone!"

At the sound of what's presumed to be his name, the figure next to Gold jerked and instantly glared at Gold. With a dark hood covering up most of the boy's head, Green could only make out locks of red hair escaping. Moving his vision to the guy's face, Green froze at the sight of Silver's eyes.

Unlike Gold's eyes that seemed to beam like the sun, Silver's mercury eyes were like never ending tunnels of a dark chasm threatening to swallow one up. The guy's eyes were so cold, empty, and, save for the piercing anger, was a carbon copy to what Green would had seen in his mirror a year ago.

Suddenly, Green thought Silver's eyes had turned into a blazing red. Blinking in surprise, Green was only met with mercury eyes. Was that a trick of the light?

Silver's eyes reverted back to Gold, and without using words, seem to have a silent conversation. Green couldn't help but feel suspicious at the calmness the two portray.

"How come you guys seem to be so relaxed? We're in a hostage situation!" Green questioned.

Gold turned away from Silver, and shot a grin towards Green. "Well, you're not in a verge of panic either, so you're one to talk. Beside, it seems like it's Orm who's leading the invasion this time."

Green's eyes sharpened at the casualness Gold used in mentioning the name. "Orm? You know who the guy is?"

Gold hummed at the obvious interest Green seems to be holding. "Yeah, Orm. Silver and I go wayyy back with him. Trust me, in Team Rocket he has a heart similar to a kid's."

Before Green questioned him on _why_ they even have a history between Team Rocket, Silver intervened between the two. "He's coming."

Green's eyes shifted to the departing mass of grunts as a figure walked through and was that a... turtle on his shoulder?

"Executive Orm, thank Arceus you're here!"

"The kids won't stop crying no matter what we do!"

"Not that we were unkind or anything, sir, but they're getting on my nerves!"

Orm was clearly bigger and bulkier in structure compared to the grunts, but the air surrounding him could have others tell he was more important than the others. Dressed in a gray suit with a smaller R found near the breast pocket, the guy looked the part of a higher-up. Currently he was heading towards the little girl that started the whole chain reactions.

_'What's he going to do?' _Green wondered. _'Yell at her, hit her, or use her as an example? But wait, Gold said he was similar to a kid. Still, there has to be a reason why he is Executive of Team Rocket.'_

Orm approached the whimpering girl, as the clear difference in size was obvious to all. Crying even harder, she tried to cover her eyes in preparation of what would happen. Moments of silence, she peeked through her hands only to be face-to-face with a turtle.

"Kyahh, it's so cute~" the girl exclaimed, abandoning her crying in favor of playing with the turtle. The rest of the little kids had stopped crying as well, circling the girl to see the new thing displayed for them.

Orm was squatting in front of her, with the turtle in his huge hand hovering in the air. Chuckling at her response, he replied, "His name is Shuckle the III, and he's a special turtle. If you guys don't cry for an hour, I'll let you guys play with him." At the girl's enthusiastic nod, Orm placed the turtle in her still-bonded hands. "Don't worry, you'll see your family again. In fact, it's so touching how you missed them so much! I wish everyone loved their family this much and appreciates them!" By then, Orm was crying a waterfall, though the kids had long ignored him in favor of playing with Shuckle the III.

The surrounding grunts could only sigh in exasperation at the crying Executive.

"Oh dear..."

"Executive Orm is at it again."

"Someone grab a tissue box for him..."

All the Rocket grunts went back to the normal schedules as muttering can be heard from them discussing something.

In the crowd of kids who had watched the scene, Green's jaws were threatening to fall off. _'What. Is this guy for real?' _

Gold was, again, in a state of holding in his laughter. "Pfft, you should've seen your face! Not what you expected of a Team Rocket Executive, huh?"

Green could only nod. "And the... turtle? What's that all about?"

This time Silver replied since Gold was still laughing. "Orm specializes in security and defense due to his ability of being able to understand Shuckles. What you see here," Silver gestured towards the turtle, "is a genetic modification experiment of a turtle that gives them longer life spans and steel-like defenses. Security Honed Utility Classed Kanto Lifeform Experiment, or S.H.U.C.K.L.E. for short."

Gold continued on. "Orm here is the only dude who is able to understand and somewhat order the turtles around to his commands. If you look to your right," Green looked towards where Gold was talking about, "you'll see one of the turtles there inspecting all of us. There's another one a little off to the left of that one. They have functions of being able to act as security cameras, so someone is monitoring this whole scene." Indeed, red shells with yellow necks coming out of them could be seen monitoring the crowd with glazed eyes.

"Still..." Green trailed, "Shuckle the III?"

Gold shrugged. "He's not creative with names. Last I checked, he was up to Shuckle the IX."

Green's mind couldn't wrap all the information he was given in the past half-hour. First, he was shoved to the outside world where he haven't set foot for two years, then, he got caught in a hijacking that had a small chance of happening. Add in an evil-friendly(?) giant and genetically modified turtles, all this chaos was more than enough to make up for his two years of seclusion.

_'Can this even be classified as a turtle, since only tortoises could live so long on land without water. Plus it doesn't have webbed feet... this thought is strangely deja-vuish to something. Right, a conversation I had with-' _"Azul!" Green exclaimed, surprising the surrounding people.

"Uhh, you mean the color blue? Are you alright, Serious Guy? Don't start losing your marbles around me!" Gold replied.

"Anyone would lose brain cells being around you."

"Grrr. Take that back, Silver!"

However, Green wasn't listening to them anymore as a distinctive laughter echoed in the one earbud that was surprisingly still in his ear.

"Ohohoho~ Finally you remembered me, Greenie! I thought it was going to take you forever," Azul replied.

"Tch, Pesky Girl. Anyone would forget in my situation. Do you know what's going on?" Green muttered, being conscious to not let anyone hear that he was communicating with someone.

"Yeah, yeah. Stuck in a hijacking, Team Rocket is here, hostage situation, something about turtles, blah, blah, blah. Boy, you've sure landed in a sticky situation. Lucky for you, I was listening to everything, and while you were here as a sitting duck, I've been doing research!"

"Guess you have your uses after all."

"Shut it or else I won't tell you anything!"

"Azul..."

"Fine, you win this time! But only because we're short on time!"

"The information...?"

"Oh, right!" Inside the cellphone without anyone able to see her, Azul had on a huge grin. "So here's how it goes..."

On Green's end, Gold and Silver finally stopped bickering in favor of watching the beginning of a smile form on Green's face. There was also this gleam in his eyes that made the two appreciated that he was on their side.

"I know that look, Super Serious Gal has it when she's going to pull something big. Mind informing us what's cooking in your head?" Gold asked.

Silver, too, was interested in what the stranger was planning. Now was a good time to see what the guy was capable of.

Green gave a scrutinizing look towards the two teens. "Hmm, you can help. But I'll need all your trust if I want this plan of mine to work..."

"And," Silver interrupted, "what's the chance of this plan being able to work?"

"Well I hate to boast but," Green drawled, "100%."

"That's highly cocky of you."

"It's not cockiness if one has confidence and uses all the sources."

A metaphoric lightning was produced between the two glares of Green and Silver.

_'Arrogant, ungrateful-'_

_'Cheeky, little-'_

The lightning battle grew fiercer between them.

"Well," Gold butted in, "as entertaining as this is, we have a schedule to follow. So, Serious Guy, that's a high claim you make. I like your style! You won't find two more fully given trust guys as us! What's the plan?"

Green made a smirk, one that he haven't made in a long time. "Right, then. Here's how it goes..."

* * *

"Ouch! Quit poking me!"

"Me? You're the one that's jabbing _your _elbow into _my _ribs!"

"Dude, you wanna start a fight?"

"Kyaah! Pervert! I swear someone just touched me!"

"Oh my, I feel so faint! I believe my breakfast is gonna come up soon~" Gold added with a high, shrill voice, as more chaos spreaded and scattered throughout the crowd of kids.

Silver kicked him in the shin. "Idiot, don't draw anymore unwanted actions to you."

Gold pouted towards him. "Just doing my job."

"BRATS, QUIET DOWN, ELSE A BULLET IS GONNA LODGE UP IN ONE OF YOUR HEADS!" one of the Team Rocket grunts bellowed.

Instant silence had sliced through the commotion again, leaving a tense atmosphere behind.

"Tch," replied a different grunt. "Who was the one that started this?"

"I am."

All eyes shifted towards Green, who had stood up and spoke directly to the grunt. Unaware to the spectators, sweat trickled underneath his shirt. _'Good, I got their attention.__ If this can be played out as planned, then we'll all be out of here without casualties. Now if they would take the bait...' _Green thought back to the plan he had told Gold and Silver few minutes ago while no attention were on them.

_"__Right, then, here's how it goes," Green began, shifting into a position that while looked natural, can also block any curious eyes toward them. "First, we'll need a distraction, something to cause chaos and lead the Team Rocket grunts to force their hands in finding a scape goat for the rowdiness. In doing so, they would think it's a good chance to show their power over us as one is to be used for an example."_

_"Leave that to us!" Gold exclaimed, shooting a wink to Green. "I'm a master at starting trouble, and Silver here is my faithful sidekick." Silver glared, but chose to let the comment slide for now._

_"And how are you going to do that without getting caught?" Green questioned._

_Gold sent him a cheeky smirk. "That's a secret."_

_"Moving on," Green resumed, having decided to ignore all the secretive statements and resolve to have it answered at a less pressing time. "When the commotion has died down, they'll be looking for a culprit. Question: How good are you guys in fighting?"_

_Gold pondered on the question for a moment. "Well, I have training in baseball so my physical stamina is good, though I don't know any fancy-shmancy karate moves. But I can fight dirty."_

_The attention was then directed towards Silver, who only said, "Passable. I'm more specialized in immobilization than trained offense." _

_Green sighed at the unsatisfactory replies. "Well, guess it can't be helped. Last I checked, I was a 2nd dan black belt in martial arts, though my stamina is somewhat lacking at the moment. But evading should be fine for me."_

_Silver narrowed his eyes at Green. "And why do you want to know our skills in fighting...?"_

_Green chose to ignore his question as he continued on the plan. "Once they would be looking for someone to blame, it'll be the perfect chance to call them out and challenge them. If the higher-up orders are true, then they are not allowed to shoot anyone until the time limit for the police have been reached."_

_Both Gold's and Silver's eyes widened at his implication. "You're not telling me that..." Silver trailed._

_Green nodded his head in all seriousness. "It's as I imply. I'm going to challenge Executive Orm; in other words, I'll be bait."_

"Pfft, this brat?!" a grunt yelled, then immediately burst into laughter.

"Hey, boy, do ya know who yer dealin' with?" another grunt questioned.

"Yeah, we're Team Rocket! So watch your mouth if you know what's good for you!" came from one of the few female grunts.

Green still kept a cool look, even when the Team Rocket grunts threw jeers toward him, and a feeling of disbelief came from the crowd of hostages at what seems to be a foolish move.

"Hmm, so what should we do with him?" a grunt questioned Orm as the Executive moved closer to Green to observe him. Squinting his eyes, Orm scrutinized Green a little longer, until he snapped his fingers at the realization of something.

"Aha!" Orm cried. "Brown spiky hair, green eyes, age of a teenager, he matches the description given by Boss! You must be Green Oak!"

Green's eyes widened in surprise of his name being known, but quickly returned to a neutral look. "How do you know my name?" _'And what business do you have with me?'_

"The Boss says to look out for you and bring you to him," Orm replied, standing face-to-face to Green. "Now if you just follow me and we'll deal with things from there..."

"And if I refuse?" Green asked.

Orm arched an eyebrow. "Well, force would be necessary." A gun was cocked in the background by a grunt.

_'Now's my chance!' _"How about I make you a deal?" Green suggested.

"A deal?"

"Let's have a one-on-one match. No weaponry. If I win, then you set everyone on this train free."

"Oh, playing hero are we? And what if I decide to just shoot you now, resulting in no struggle?" Orm asked in an amused tone.

"You can't do that," Green countered. "It was ordered by your higher-up to not cause any harm until permission has been granted. By shooting me, you'll be breaking a set rule and any planned treaty would be negated."

"Smart boy, and what do I get out of this?" Orm muttered.

"You may continue on your plan and I will follow you with no complaints."

"Hmm, a good deal... Very well, I agree to your terms. However, I would be the one who will emerge victorious!"

"We'll see, I'm not backing down without a fight!" Green declared. _'Good, it's going along as I expected.'_

* * *

_"You? Against Orm with his freaky height and muscles? Not a chance!" Gold declared, shocked about the highly praised plan._

_"I agree with him. How can you be absolutely sure that you'll win against him?" Silver questioned._

_Green looked both in the eyes. "The purpose of the battle isn't to actually win, but to stall."_

_"Stall?" the two echoed._

_"That's right," Green confirmed. "I have a reliable resource telling me that two girls were able to remain undetected from Team Rocket, and are going to the main source as we speak."_

_Gold whistled. "Wow, you must have a real good source if you realized that! Still, how does this apply to stalling?"_

_Silver sighed at Gold's denseness, but supplied the answer for him after realizing himself. "What Green is saying is that we are the distraction for the sabotaging of the main source. Even if he wins, there is a high probability of Team Rocket not keeping true to their words. By stalling the fight, the grunts' attentions would be scattered and less effective than as a whole."_

_Green nodded in agreement to Silver's words. "I don't have high confidence on my skill after so long without using it, but Orm is more of a heavy-hitter and I'm sure I'll be able to dodge his punches."_

_"Well," Gold started. "Whatever you say, Serious Guy. Just know that our chance of surviving all depends on you. No pressure though."_

_Green groaned._

Both Orm and Green had a reasonable distance between them as a space was cleared out in the second-to-last cart after shifting everyone to the sides. Eyes were assessing the other figure, as the declaration to start had been already called. It was a brief amount of tense silence later when Orm made the first move.

Right fist pulled back, Orm threw a heavy punch towards Green abdomen, though Green evaded. In return, Green had used to momentum from dodging to make a roundhouse kick at Orm's side. While the kick hit, Orm looked as if he hadn't felt it at all. Green's foot, though, felt like he just kicked a brick wall. At Green's slight pause, Orm took his chance to try aiming a karate chop towards Green neck that Green barely managed to dodge. However, Green's clumsy dodge was able to let Orm trip him and fall towards the ground. A swift kick from above was aimed at Green's sprawled form, but he quickly rolled out of the way.

Right, dodge. Block, dodge, kick. Left, punch. Spin, dodge, jump.

The battle between the two was resembling that of a cat and mouse chase, with Orm as the cat and Green as the mouse. Cheers could be heard from the Team Rocket grunts on the sidelines, while the others were to afraid to speak. But the noise didn't affect Green, months of practice were coming back to him with greater influence than the hollering background.

Kick, dodge, offense. Left, sidestep, punch. Block, reverse, jab. Left hook-

_'Oh snap,' _Green thought in alarm, as he braced the impact of the hit. Arms crossed to lessen the blow, Green did not expect a sweepkick aimed at his legs that left him collapsed on the floor.

Orm's bulky frame hovered above him, one foot pinning him on the chest. "Give up, kid? It'll lessen the pain if you do so."

"N-Not yet!" Green exclaimed, having slight trouble breathing after the intense exchange of fists. He _really _needed to work on his stamina in the future.

Orm shrugged. "Suit yourself. After we get you, we'll need the research from your grandpa, Professor Oak."

Green was shocked. "Gramps?!"

"Yep. Maybe he'll give less struggle when we tell him that you're in our possession. It'll give us less trouble and harm for all of us."

An angry fire was burning in Green at the implication of them harming his grandpa. The thought of Team Rocket involving their dirty hands into his family and hurting his loved ones. He was not going to be helpless, _S__creech, SLAM,_ not again, _"Call the ambulance! We need medical help ASAP-"_ not like the car accident that took away his parents' lives, _"G__reen, Mama and Papa love you so much, so be a good boy," _because he does not want to attend another funeral.

_'Like hell!' _Green viciously thought.

Using all his upper body muscle, Green heaved Orm off of him and practically lifted the man from the ground.

"Don't." _Punch _"You." _Left jab _"Ever." _Screw punch_ "Touch." _Knee jab_ "My." _Roundhouse kick_ _"FAMILY!"_

_BAM! _Orm was knocked unconscious before he even hit the ground.

A reign of silence enveloped the sidelines as the only sound was the deep panting coming from Green. That was until a cheer came from the crowd.

"Woo-hoo! Go Serious Guy! Didn't know you had it in you!" Gold cheered. Except he was supposed to be stuck in the last cart bonded and not free. Nonetheless, his cheer then started off all the praises from the crowd.

"Amazing, he defeated him!"

"We're free! FREEDOM!"

"Who is that boy? He's so handsome and heroic and - _my hero!_"

Green sweatdropped at all the praises aimed at him, also trying to ignore some of the squeals coming from girls. Conveniently, a Team Rocket grunt interrupted their celebration.

"Oi! Who says anyone of you could cheer?" a grunt cried, though some were murmuring in surprise at the defeat of their Executive.

"Yeah, we're Team Rocket! You should be quiet if you know what's good for you!"

"But you promised to let us free!" a brave boy countered, though he went back to cowering at the glare aimed at him.

What seemed to be the leading grunt sneered. "Well, we're a criminal organization, we don't keep true to our word - Woah!" he cried, as the Magnet Train had abruptly stopped. "The hell is going on?!"

The intercom crackled back to life, except this time it was a familiar voice speaking. _"Yo, everyone! This is your new announcer Azul speaking, and I'm pleased to say that we'll be resuming the regular schedule shortly after pest control!"_

Green sighed, but slightly appreciated the sound of the familiar voice. "Pesky girl... Always one to be dramatic..."

The leading grunt was outraged. "The hell is a girl doing on the intercom. Where's Executive - Oomph!" He fell unconscious after a well place jab to the throat from Silver, who was standing behind him.

Green wasn't sure if he was supposed to be surprise or not after the whole fiasco. "Silver? How did you get out of your ropes? No wait, how did both of you get out!"

But Silver ignored him, as he turned his attention towards an also free Gold. "Coast is clear. Including his, all weapons have been disabled on the train. Grunts in the other carts have already been immobilized."

"Thanks Silver! Now we just have to deal with these," Gold gestured towards the grunts, "pests. Hey, Serious Guy, you up for Round Two with the others?"

Green was still confused (was that a cue stick in Gold's hand; how did he hide that?), but nevertheless replied, "Sure."

Gold gave a huge, cheeky smile. "Good." Flipping his yellow-black cap the other way and re-adjusting the goggles to settle on his face, Gold had a glint in his eyes. "Let's party!" Then he charged into the mass of grunts, waving the cue stick all over the place and knocking out each grunt as he passed. Silver followed him, mercury eyes blazing with fury as gloved hands sneaked over the vital points on the grunts. Green stared at the scene of chaos.

"Well, guess I should help them." However, before Green could move few steps towards them, a stray, unconscious grunt was pushed towards his direction. Not having enough time to dodge, the grunt collided with him at full force.

"Oomph!" Green cried, as the two body masses submit to gravity and they fell headfirst towards the floor. Green felt a startling pain at his cranium as he crashed onto the edge of a nearby seat. Then, everything was black to him.

...

...

* * *

**A/N: Let's see now, topic to be discussed... right, Orm! For people who isn't familiar with him, he was one of the villains for the FR/LG saga, you know, the Shuckle guy, or Japanese name called Orca. Didn't know what to pick at first, but funny how his name and the others aren't mentioned in the character selection. Poor guy, decided to make him humorous since he was the only one cared about the family reunion for Giovanni. Though I couldn't help with the Shuckle reference. **

**We also have Gold and Silver on the scene. Man, I love writing their characters, though the hardest part was the introduction to the fight scene. This inadequate author apologizes greatly for not knowing how to write fighting scenes. Had to depend on KHR fanfictions to think of some moves, though it was fun writing it. Actually, just thinking of a plan suited for the Magnet Train made my head hurt...**

**Next chapter we finally go off of Green's POV and see the other side of the story. In fact, if you understand my hints, next chapter would be alternating views of Crystal and Gold! Though I feel sorry for Green in writing something anti-climatic to knock him unconscious. **

**I'll like to thank everyone who took time to read the story, especially stealthclaw for favoriting and following! Seriously, you made my day being the first to show positive feedback to all this effort. Of course, I would still appreciate any criticism. Review, anyone? **

**Question: Favorite Pokémon character, not just limited to manga though. And do people even read my A/N as I'm assuming no one does. Since no response was given, I'll abandon the old question. Though the answer for me for previous question is gray and brown. **

**Anyway, next chapter should be up a week or two from now. Can't believe I actually been a diligent writer. But that's gonna change when school comes... The next chapter is probably my last for a while as I won't have time to write, let alone relax. After that, I'll probably post on holidays or breaks. But I'll get to that when it comes. Feedback would be nice, people, but have a good day, everyone! **


	4. III: Countdown Behind the Scenes

Your Hand That Brought Change

**III: Countdown Behind the Scenes**

* * *

_"There are two sides to every story, and more often than not somewhere in the middle you will find the truth." _

_-Vladislas Nikilovic_

* * *

**[00:59:00]**

Crystal should of known things were too good to be true when the day had started off relatively peaceful. Sure Gold had (read: tried) to flirt at anyone wearing a skirt, Silver glared at anything walking, and Soul was repressing to flee at anyone looking their way, but those were normal situations that Crystal was easily able to take care of. Shame how their last member couldn't have went with them, though it made the whole experience less hectic in comparison to some of their other outings together.

It had been a beautiful morning that prompted the four to visit the Game Corner in Celadon City, Kanto, and a rare moment when the majority of them had free time. The whole experience had been fun with Gold and Silver competing against each other in competitive games and the girls playing with less rivalry. The trip had ended with all of them getting icecreams and making their way to the Magnet Train to go home and discuss further actions for the day. The fact that nothing seemingly went wrong in their plan should've raised alarms in Crystal's head.

At the present, Crystal would've gladly banged her head against the wall at the situation they were in.

"Secure all exits and drag any kids you find in there!" a baritone voice cried.

"Grab some ropes if force is necessary!" This was an annoying high screech.

"Someone check the bathrooms to see if anyone is in there!" Snap, that voice seemed to sound closer than the rest.

The last thing Crystal had thought would happen today was to be stuck with her twin sister in a bathroom stall. The coming grunt wasn't helping their situation, either.

_'And to think all I want is a normal day and enjoy Soul's free day off. I knew things were too good to be true!' _Crystal's inner thought wailed. Really, was that too much for a girl to ask?

"Sis, someone's coming!" the figure wearing the marshmallow-like hat cried.

"Soul, they can't see us. Also, can you please release your hold on me?" Really, Crystal loves her sister dearly. Yet it doesn't stop the fact that she was cutting off the circulation of her right arm wasn't really helping them at the moment.

Soul blushed. "Oh, right. Sorry, instincts you know?"

A reasonable fear that Crystal understands. Being a teen idol, Soul has many fans that adore the ground she walks on. It wasn't just fans either that always have their eyes drawn to her. Schoolmates, random strangers, even animals, anything would be attracted to her as long as they have eyes. The reason wasn't just because she was a rising celebrity.

"Hn. The bathroom in this cart is clear!"

"Did you check the stalls?"

"Yep, empty as they can be. On to the next one!"

With the sound of footsteps fading out, the two girls exited out of the very stall that the one grunt had last checked.

_'Sometimes,'_ Crystal thought,_ 'this power we were gifted is a blessing in situations like this. However...' _Crystal's red eyes met the worried brown ones of her sister. The sister that, too, had eyes that were turning red in response to the stress she felt. _'This is a curse that humans should never be capable to control. The Concealing Eyes... at least they have their uses.'_

"Guess she's gone now," Soul said as she cautiously looked around for any straggling grunts. Knowing they were safe, her eyes quickly faded back to their original color. "Phew, that was a close one! Good thing your power lets you make us invisible."

"Yeah." Just in case, Crystal still kept her power activated.

"Grrr! This is such a bummer! The one day I have a day off and Team Rocket decides to pick the Magnet Train of all things," Soul complained. Leaning her cheek against her twin's shoulder, she exaggerated her pout. "I mean, why today? If they just waited another day I would have a valid reason for ditching rehearsal tomorrow."

Crystal fondly nudged Soul to get off. "It's not like a choice of the matter. What I'm worried about is how Gold and Silver are faring." Because Arceus forbids, Gold could cause chaos alone and adding Silver with his hatred for Team Rocket just spells trouble together.

_'No. Now is not the time to worry about those two, they can take of themselves. What we need to focus on is Team Rocket. Speaking of the boys...'_ Crystal shooed Soul off to check on the incoming text she just received.

_From: King Moron_

_To: Crystal Hoshino*_

_Hey, how r u guys. Silv and i just chillin out._

_(1) attachment_

"Ooh, is that text from Gold?" Soul asked, moving closer to see the text. "How's their situation?"

Crystal was too busy fuming at the picture to answer Soul, all previous worry forgotten. Should she really be surprise at the picture of Gold giving bunny ears to a murderous Silver as he was holding the victory sign in the other hand? Or was it a peace sign to tell her to give him mercy when they meet?

Soul sweatdropped at the angry waves coming from her sister. Gold was definitely in for a scolding.

"Th-That idiot! We're supposed to be worrying about the situation we're in and here he is goofing off! I'm gonna _XXXX_ then _XXXX_ him, rip that _XXXXXX_ when I get my hands on him! Where's the progress report, the stats of the situation, a plan at least?!"

Scratch that, Crystal was going to castrate the poor boy.

Crystal huffed in annoyance after the heavy release of emotions. "Soul!"

Soul squeaked at the sudden address. "Yes, Ma'am?" Crystal was not to be messed with whenever she was in her current mood.

"It's us girls to solve the problem this time. Commence _Plan A_!"

* * *

**[00:45:52]**

The bathroom door cracked open a little as a lone brown eye analyzed its surroundings. The eye flickered for couple more seconds until the door then slammed open, all previous subtlety gone. A proud Soul stood at the doorway with a exasperated Crystal following behind.

"Coast is all clear!" Soul declared, though Crystal was less happy at her sister's lack of subtlety.

"A bit late to say that. Plus, just because we're invisible doesn't stop the sound of that door. A grunt could've come to check out the noise!"

"Err, whoops? Guess we're lucky no one is around. Do you see Gold and Silver?"

Crystal had already been scanning the fifth cart of the Magnet Train way before Soul's question about the two boys. "It's all adults here, looks like they already been taken them to the last two carts. And I was hoping we could use Silver's power to cause less trouble..._ Plan A_ is out."

Soul sighed with her sister. "Does that mean..."

Crystal looked at Soul with pity. "Yep, that means..."

The two spoke in unison. "Time for _Plan B_."

"Ohohoho~ Is that a plan I hear?"

"Ah!" both girls screamed at the sudden intrusion in the conversation. No one was supposed to be able to see them!

"Hey, quit the yells. At this rate you'll draw attention to yourself!" the voice hissed. Except it wasn't coming from any of the grunts.

"Um, Sis? This isn't a ghost or anything, right? Please say yes!" Soul cried.

"Ghost? Well, that's a new one," the voice said in an amused tone.

Crystal was not a sci-fi believer, let alone a believer of the supernatural. Yet the voice can't be coming from where she thinks it is, else she would've at least recognized the voice.

"Soul, take out your cell."

"Huh?" Still, Soul complied to Crystal's request. "Ah!"

The blue figure on Soul's cellphone screen waved. "Yo! Still believe I'm a ghost?"

"W-Who are you?" Soul stuttered.

Crystal peered over her sister's shoulder in interest. "Yes, who are you and how did get in there?"

The cyber girl smiled. "Call me Azul! And don't mind me, I'm just a simple cyber girl who passed by your cellphone signal. So what's this plan I hear?"

The girls ignored her question again. This foreign invader was much more interesting!

"What do you mean cellphone signal?"

"What's a cyber being?"

"Do you have connection to the Internet?"

"Why are you blue?"

"Do you have information about this invasion?"

"I really like your hair!"

"Whoa, whoa, stop with all the questions! Though thanks for the compliment, sweetie," Azul said. "As for the girl with blue hair, I'm a cyber being so what do you expect?"

That's all the confirmation Crystal needed for her previous questions. "That's great, that means you can hack into Team Rocket's database! Though you didn't clarify on how the cellphone signal lets you see us."

"Wait," Azul butted in. "You mean no one can see you guys?"

"Yep," piped Soul. "It's an ability Crystal have that makes us invisible and quiet. You can tell by her red eyes."

"Ooh," Azul awed. Though it seemed it can't block physical contact nor electronic radiation. "So cool. Then that means he," Azul pointed at a random grunt, "wouldn't notice us at all?"

At Crystal's nod, Azul squealed. "Sweet, let me try. Hey, you! Yes, you, the guy looking all gangsta. What's with that glare, you won't attract any ladies this way. You need to get laid, dude. Jerk, poophead!"

The said grunt didn't blink an eyelash in response.

Azul cackled in evil laughter as Soul tried not to burst a gut laughing. Crystal refrained to snicker. _'Immature idiots, all of them.'_ "Now is not the time!"

"Oh, my Arceus! Girl with blue hair, that is an awesome ability you have there! Ahh, if he was just Green, then my life would be complete!" Azul cried, as she and Soul began to sober up.

Soul gasped. "Right, we never gave you our names! I'm Soul and this is my twin sister, Crystal."

Crystal tried to smile. "Pleasure, but now isn't really the best time to become acquainted. We're still in the midst of Team Rocket!"

Azul bobbed her head. "Right, we're on a time limit here."

"Time limit?"

"Yep. I've already hacked into the nearest information source and apparently we're 45 minutes away from Goldenrod City. Well, technically 40 minutes now. This hijacking is like the average one: hostages in exchange for, what was it again... Right, one million currency!"

_"ONE MILLION!"_ the sisters cried.

"How many thousands are in a million?" Soul screeched, hands clutched onto her puffy hat.

Crystal was close to grasping her own pigtails as well. "The police would never get that much, let alone in such a short amount of time!"

Azul nodded seriously. "That's correct. So what was this plan you were talking about?"

Soul went into depression at the thought of the plan. "Um, do you have anymore information? That could really help us a lot."

"Hmmm..." Azul pondered. "The control of the train is in the first cart and according to the information I hacked into, the people who are leading this operation is a group called _The Two Beasts_."

"The Two Beasts!" This day was getting better and better for Crystal. Note the sarcasm.

"In fact," Azul disappeared, only to instantly come back, "one of the guy called Orm is approaching the last two carts as we speak."

Wait, if Orm was with the kids, then that meant...

"FUDGE! The crazy kid is in control of this train!" Soul screamed.

Crazy was putting it lightly. The remaining authority, Executive Carr, was just a bomb waiting to go boom. At a height barely passing Crystal's hip, the boy has bad history between them.

"Yeah, a short kid. You know him?" Crystal wished she didn't.

"Uh, I guess, sort of, maybe, no?" Soul weakly lied.

"Liar."

"Anyway," Crystal tried to change the topic. "Our best bet is to reach the cart and deal with things there. I'll text Gold to tell him the details. As for Soul..."

A fake waterfall was flowing out of Soul's eyes. "Please, no, Sis!"

"We don't have a choice, Soul."

"Ohohoho, now I really want to know this plan!"

Crystal doesn't really want to do this for her sister. But duty calls... If Gold had just gave a detailed report, things might not have to end like this.

_'Right. When I get my hands on him, he's going to wish he never crossed me!'_

* * *

**[00:38:56]**

"Achoo!" Gold sneezed in the middle of his snickering. Using his sleeves to wipe his nose, he shuddered. _'Now who's talking about me - wait, must be Super Serious Gal. Oh crap, I'm gonna suffer aren't I?'_

Silver gave a discreet look of disgust at Gold's display of personal hygiene. Not that Gold gives a shit or anything about it, but it was amusing to see Silver's face like that. He could already imagine what Silver would say.

_"Use a tissue or something, you slob. You have free hands so use them."_

Yep, Gold was almost fluent in the art of grumpy faces, though Silver would say otherwise. Yet, he knows Silver loves him~

Right, now was not the time to think about that. The guy in front of him was very interesting, almost resembling Silver in a way. Or a male Super Serious Gal. In fact...

"From now on, I dub you thee Serious Guy!" The boy in front of him sputtered in agitation.

Ah, he was almost as fun to tease as Silver! Course, no one can beat Super Serious Gal's expressions. Wonder if she liked the picture he sent her...? Speaking of which, he has one missed text.

_From: Super Serious Gal_

_To: Super Sexy Gold_

_When I get my hands on you you'll be in a world of pain. Orm is coming your way and Carr currently driving the Magnet Train. Me and Soul are going to try stop the train. Someone called Azul is helping us. Hostage exchange of 1 million currency, time limit 40 minutes. Mission: Stall Orm, find a way to knock out all grunts, and **do not mess up. **Further details later, executing _Plan B_... and be safe both of you._

Ah, Gold could feel the love. Really, even under all that seriousness.

Turning his attention away from the cellphone screen, he scanned the current situation. Around 30 kids, ten grunts, and small available space. He could work with that, it's not like he was stupid as Super Serious Gal would claim.

_"Nope, you're far from it. Better than all these idiots combined," _a traitorous whisper echoed at the back of his mind. Gold ignored it in favor of questioning Silver, who just finished using his power in reading the thoughts of Serious Guy. While Gold's power does allow him to warp specific individuals' views on him, it sadly doesn't provide the voice with it. By talking in accordance to what his image seems to be doing, multitasking became one of his many special skills.

Sloppily texting on his cellphone to communicate with Silver, it looks like his understanding in the art of grumpy faces was going to be put to test.

_so is sg trustworthy?_

Glare. _Yes. What's the text about?_

_SSG txted. we r 2 stall Orm n nock all grunts out. girlz r goin 2 Carr 2 stop train. got a plan?_

Glare. _Hn. Get me out of the ropes then we'll talk._

_can sg help us in any way?_

Harsher glare. _Not on my life are we asking a stranger for help._

_great! the guy seem smart. lets get him to help_

Blink. _No, I refuse-_

"How come you guys seem to be so relaxed? We're in a hostage situation!"

Great! Perfect timing from Serious Guy. Well, that closes this discussion with Silver. Gold: 1 Silver: 0

Still, the guy in front of him really seemed smart. Plus, if he remembered right, the name Green was highly praised. How did he know? Well, he recalled hearing the name from somewhere; if he doesn't remember a name, then it's high chance that it's a brainiac's name and not one of his beloved favorite celebrities. So it's a good chance that he'll be able to find a way out for them.

Plus, the operation was hold by Orm! Though the other one might be a problem... Still, he holds high confidence for the girls to succeed. It's not like this was their first mission alone, and they're going to use _Plan B. _Boy, he can't wait for Silver's reaction!

* * *

**[00:31:07]**

"Ohohoho, I still can't believe this is the famous _Plan B~"_

"Shut up! I have bad memories with this!"

"Now, now, Soul. It's only a short amount of time, then everything can go back to normal."

"WAHHH!"

A lone grunt was standing guard in front of the door that connected the cart together. Really, it was so boring being stuck with guard duty. What he would give for a shot of whiskey...

Suddenly, he felt his eyes tingle. What was this irritation bothering his eyes? Moving his view away from open space, he then saw _it. _Well, every grunt on the train saw _it_, but he swore he was the first one to lay his eyes on _it_.

Dressed in the standard female grunt uniform, the deity of Arceus itself was gracing their presence amongst everyone in the perimeter. Those beautiful, ruby red eyes, you could spent days staring at them-

_SLAM! _The grunt standing guard was knocked unconscious, with the red eyes disappearing as well, leaving all the grunts blinking the haze out of their eyes. What happened to them just now...?

Back in the presence of Crystal's power, Soul was clinging onto her sister's arm crying fake tears.

"WAHHH, why me?" Soul weeped.

Azul was laughing crazily as Crystal comforted her twin. "There, there. That's two down, only two or three more to go."

"WAHHH!" That didn't help comfort Soul.

Azul was having the time of her cyber-life. Who knew these girls were so interesting? And Soul! Apparently, she was the rising teen-idol, Kotone! _Plan B_ was a blast!

_"C'mon, girls, just tell me! What's Plan B?" Azul questioned in frustration._

_Soul sighed. "Might as well show you then explaining it. Sis?"_

_"Already on it. I see a female grunt around the corner, and she's alone too."_

_"I guess it's time to hit the show on the road. You'll see what my special power is..."_

_Releasing her power from Soul's presence, Crystal warily watched in contrast to the anticipation Azul had. Her role was going to come soon._

_Stepping in front of the grunt, Soul smiled towards her; brown eyes turning red. "Hi there!"_

_The grunt gave a double-take. "Wait, what's a brat doing here-" Ooh, pretty red eyes._

_SLAM! A high kick aimed at the head, courtesy of Crystal, and she was down for the count._

_"Wow, interesting. I still don't see how this is embarrassing though." Azul remarked._

_Soul groaned. "That's because this isn't the embarrassing part." Dragging the grunt towards the bathroom, mutterings of "I'm sorry" could be heard from Soul._

_"What do you mean - Oh. Nevermind then."_

"Ah! I see Greenie finally remembers me. Be back in a jiffy." With a poof, Azul exited from Soul's screen and leaving the two sisters alone with an unconscious grunt.

Crystal sighed. "I'll find a bathroom to hide the grunt. But you're doing it next!"

Soul only whimpered in response.

After a moment of hassle, and the addition of another unconscious grunt, Azul reappeared on the screen. "Hiya guys! Miss me?"

"Great timing," Crystal said. "We're almost at the first cart."

"That's great and all," Azul trailed, "but I, well Green, have a plan!"

Soul fist pumped in joy. "Great!"

"Yeah, except one thing. I'm going need to know all the skills you know about Orm."

Crystal and Soul froze in action. "Why do you think we know?" Crystal asked.

Azul blew her bangs in frustration. "No offense, Soul, but you make a horrible liar. And I need to know the information since Green is going to fight him in order to stall for us."

_"WHAT!"_

Azul moved a strand of her bangs out of her eyes in annoyance. "Here's how the plan goes. Green knows we're currently making our way towards the main source, so he's going to divide the attention of everyone. Apparently two boys, Gold and Silver, are going to help him catch Orm's attention."

"Wait, Gold and Silver?" Crystal cut in.

"That's our friends!" Soul added.

Azul whistled. "Wow, small world. Anyway, if we can stop the train or at least make sure no harm can be brought towards anyone, then we'll be home free!"

"Hmmm," Crystal pondered. "If your friend can stall long enough, then Gold and Silver should be able to use their power to deal with the threat of the grunts. With the commotion of the battle, the grunts' attentions will also drop drastically."

"Yeah! So, can I have the information now?" Azul repeated. Luckily, she didn't need to ask anymore.

"Orm specializes in defense."

"He's a heavy hitter, watch out for his punches!"

"It's no use to engage a battle against stamina, he has the best one I have ever seen."

"Hit him on the head! That's his weak spot!"

"Don't get trapped or else you'll have low chance of escaping."

"If all else doesn't work, bite him hard!"

Azul and Crystal stared at Soul for the comment. "Didn't know you're that violent, Soul," Crystal said in surprise.

Soul bashfully fidgeted with her hands. "Ehehe, too much wrestling shows for me."

"Alright, thanks, girls! I'll be sure to tell him ASAP. And Soul?"

Soul perked at the sound of her name.

Azul's smile turned into a smirk. "Wait couple of minutes, then the grunts would be swarming to watch the battle. No more in using your power like that."

"WAHHH!" Soul would've given a kiss to Azul, after she finished crying joyful tears.

* * *

**[00:23:45]**

"Hey, I heard Executive Orm is fighting against one of the hostages. And it's a kid!"

"Ha! The twerp has no chance against him."

"Wanna check it out?"

"Shouldn't we be guarding though?"

"As if these guys have the guts to do anything under Team Rocket! Come on, let's go see who's having the snot being beaten out of." With that said, numerous amount of grunts made their way to the scene, unaware of the perfect opportunity being given for two girls to slip through.

"Phew! That was the last door. Up ahead should be the brat," Soul said. Who knew the fight was going to draw that much attention?

Standing in front of the final door that would reveal the first cart, the two girls stopped.

"Looks like our luck ends here," Crystal said. "If we open the door now, that'll gain Carr's attention.

"SHHH!" Azul shushed. "I hear voices in there!"

"... yes, I demand one million currency in exchange for the safety of the people on the train. ... What do you mean you can't get the money fast enough? ... Look here, buster, you only have 20 minutes till we arrive at Goldenrod City, else blood spills. ... Much better, I want that money pronto and no funny business, got it? ... Nice doing business with you."

_Beep_. The sound of the phone hanged up, as a maniacal cackle could then be heard. The fact that it was a high-pitched boy laughter made it sound creepier.

"Sheesh, this kid sounds like he woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Azul remarked.

Soul rolled her eyes. "You have no idea."

The cackle continued on until a cough broke through. "Uh, need water. This is perfect though! Gain a quick buck, scram, then let police deal with the rest... or at least what's left of it. HAHAHA, I'm such a genius! No one would be expecting the train to be rigged with bombs, and me, being the only one who knows about it, would be safe from them! Plus... if the police doesn't cooperate, at least I get to play with my toys~" The voice continued monologuing on about his great achievement and how smart he was, but the girls had stopped listening up to that point.

Because, _bomb_.

No, the plural form: _bomb(s)_

Definition: An explosive that can cause great damage and should usually have people age 21+ to be able to use, let alone a crazy kid.

Word Usage: Why is there a _bloody_ bomb on the train?!

A scene played through all of the girls' minds. The mini Magnet Train coming leisurely at its own pace towards Goldenrod City, and then-

**BOOM!**

"AHHH!" Azul and Soul screamed together.

"WHY ARE THERE _BOMBS_ ON THE TRAIN?!" Crystal added. _'This changes everything!'_ Crystal fervently thought.

"You didn't say the guy was _this_ crazy?" Azul accused.

"How was I supposed to know that he's a _psychopath_? Sis, what do we do?"

Crystal's mind was already working at the speed of light. "We have no choice but to steal the remote that activates the bombs. Let's hope the bombs aren't by a timer..." Crystal was not one to just pray and hope, it was a bad habit to lean on.

"So we're to just barge in and try to overpower him?" Azul questioned.

Crystal helplessly shrugged. "Pretty much."

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE THE LOGICAL SISTER!"

Azul was now pacing in the cellphone screen as Soul was heavily biting her thumb nail. Crystal sighed. _'Better do something useful at least...'_

* * *

**[00:19:56]**

_'Huh, Serious Guy is doing better than I thought he would...' _Gold wondered as he was putting on the facade of him looking like a Team Rocket grunt_. 'A little work needed on speed and sloppy dodging, but he's holding up against Orm. Now that deserves a reward.'_

Really, the battle was lasting longer than the five minutes Gold had estimated. Though it was resembling more of a cat and mouse chase in his point of view. Ooh, that one punch had got to hurt!

Ah, another text message, must be from Super Serious Gal. Just when it was getting good, too! Should he ignore it...? A mental picture of her doing a high-jump kick at his face made Gold wince. _'Probably should check on it...'_

_From: Super Serious Gal_

_To: Super Sexy Gold, Silvy_

_Change of plan. Continue stalling Orm no matter what. First priority is to find bombs! Find them and give it to Silver to defuse. We only have less than 20 minutes!_

If Gold was drinking something he would've done a marvelous spit-take.

* * *

**[00:18:21]**

The short blond Executive was sitting in the high chair monitoring the fight between Orm and the boy when the door slammed open.

_SLAM! _"Hold it right there!" Huh?

At the doorway, Soul was making an exaggerated pose that was pointing at the boy. "In the name of justice and hopefully bomb free lives, we," another dramatic pose, "would punish you!"

Behind Soul's speech, Crystal did a facepalm. Just because they needed to do something doesn't mean this...! At Carr's stunned moment, Crystal quickly scouted the cart. The unconscious captain, or so the badge says, was set off to the side with another bonded female attendant. A laptop could be seen, showing Orm against a struggling boy, that was quickly deduced to be Green. Their current situation was... a small chance of succession.

Recovering from his surprise, Carr shot up from his chair. "You brats! What are you doing here?"

"Trying to recover the Magnet Train and stop your evil deeds!" Soul replied. Crystal was pretty sure that was a rhetorical question...

"... and hopefully bomb free lives - AHH, YOU HEARD ME!"

"Yep," Crystal remarked. "Next time you go on a evil rant, you shouldn't really do it that loud. Who knows who would be listening?"

"GYAHH!" Carr cried. "Oh well, it doesn't matter since _I_ have the remote that denote the bombs~"

Crystal clicked her tongue. "As if you have the courage to use it when you're still on the train. You're just a coward."

Coward? Him, a COWARD?

"Why, you insolent brats! Who cares if Boss is looking for you? I'll show you my power!" the whiskered boy screamed.

_Click. Click, click._

"Stupid machine, why won't you work?!" _Click, click, click._ A few more shakes, then Carr threw it down the floor to smash it with all his weight. "Why, why, WHY!"

"Nice going, Azul!" Soul cheered.

In the laptop screen that once showed the video surveillance was a grinning Azul. "Ohohoho, I said I'll get the job done!"

"Now start working on the control of the Magnet Train!" Crystal ordered.

"Okie-dokie!"

"Tch! It's not over yet!" the blond cried. Carr's face had changed from maniacal to sinister. "Don't think you brats get cocky now! My ten special foretress bombs have a timer that'll go BOOM!"

"..."

"..."

"... of course. It's always self timer bombs," Crystal deadpanned.

"THE HECK!" Soul screeched. "CARR, DO YOU WANT TO KILL US ALL? WHERE ARE THEY?"

Carr cackled in glee. "Like I'll ever tell you. Heehee, in the end it looks like I still win! Now I'll take my leave...!"

"Oh no you don't!" With practiced ease, Crystal raised her leg and kicked Carr's head in a similar fashion she would do with a soccer** ball. BAM! Carr crashed to the wall, unconscious. _'And g__ood riddance.'_

"Sis, we still don't know where the bombs' locations are though!"

"Have some faith in our friends," Crystal said. "Silver is searching the train as we speak, and he'll definitely find and deactivate most of them. We'll just text him the number of bombs."

Soul sighed in relief. "Well, if it's Silver, then I hold no doubts at all! Knowing him, he probably found them all already."

The train suddenly halted to a stop as Azul reappeared in Soul's cellphone screen. "Mission accomplished!"

"Great!" Soul beamed. "You could resume the train shortly, after we deal with all the grunts. Now Azul, do you want to do the honors of announcing to the public...?"

"Ooh!" Azul squealed. "I've been waiting for this! Ahem - _Yo, everyone! This is your new announcer Azul speaking..."_

"Soul, can you inform Silver that we're good, and that there should be a total of ten bombs?"

"Rightie-O, Sis! And you?"

Crystal sighed in depression. "I'm going to inform the police." Looking through Carr's pockets, she discovered his cellphone and typed in a number with practiced ease. "Let's see now - Hi, this is a passenger speaking and Team Rocket..." She always hated doing this part.

* * *

**[00:11:04]**

"Hey, Silver! Ready to join the party?" Gold asked, while smacking grunts on the head with his billiard cue. Man, it was a while that he let loose!

Gold was responded with a purple bomb thrown to his head with the blinking numbers **[00:12:13] **frozen on it. "Ah! Watch the face, that's what attracts the ladies!"

Silver ignored his remark as he spoke, "The cosplayer texted. Carr is unconscious now, after he informed them of ten bombs."

"Did you deactivated them all?"

"Of course. Though it seems like Team Rocket has also been tinkering with weaponry."

"I'll let Super Serious Gal know about that later."

"Hn. To your left."

Gold quickly dodged from the sneak attack behind him, and smacked the assaulter hard on the head. Pushing him to a random direction, he heard an intake of air. No biggie, the grunt must've hit a different one. Bonus point for him! "Thanks, Silvy~"

"Don't call me that!"

Few moments later, all the grunts were laying on the floor unconscious with Gold and Silver, who hadn't broke a sweat, emerging victorious.

"Mission accomplished! That turned out better then I expected," Gold replied, as he brushed imaginary dust off his pants.

Silver was too busy looting through pockets for information to respond.

"Hmph! Fine, ignore me. By the way, Serious Guy, where were you helping us - Oh!"

Also lying on the ground with a familiar grunt on top of him, Green was sprawled unconscious.

"Ehehehe... whoops?"

"I'm done," Silver announced, his face pulled to a scowl. Looks like he didn't find anything useful. "What's with him?"

"Uh, I kinda threw a grunt at him. It was an accident, of course! What should we do with him?" Gold said.

"Leave him."

"So cruel! Oh, I think I see the girls!"

Indeed, the two girls were making their way towards them with Crystal's power already activated to the general public. Soul was waving enthusiastically with Crystal walking at a calmer pace.

"Thank Arceus! We were worried about you guys!" Soul exclaimed. Behind her, Crystal made her way towards Gold.

Gold grinned cheekily. "Aww, even you, Super Serious Gal? How about a nice kis-"

_SLAM! _Angry Crystal used High-Jump Kick on Pervert Gold! It was super effective!

"That-" Crystal kicked Gold again, "was for not properly informing us about your situation so we could help. And this," she gave a brief hug, "is for coming out unharmed. You too, Silver."

Silver nodded in acknowledgement but kept his eyes on Soul.

_Twitch. __Twitch. _That Team Rocket uniform...

Soul blushed at his gaze on her, but then reverted to a glare at the thought of a certain memory. "Don't you even think about it!"

Gold was a whimpering mess on the floor. "Oww, tough love..."

Another announcement came from the intercom. _"Hey, Azul speaking! The Magnet Train would now be resuming in it's normal schedule so we'll be arriving at Goldenrod City shortly. Keep calm and police would come to untie you all later. Thank you for riding the Azul Express, so hope you're not scarred for life!"_

"That reminds me," Soul said. "You guys should really go under Sis's power now before questions are asked."

"Right," Silver agreed.

"And Serious Guy...?"

"Hey, take us with you!" a voice cried. Taking out Soul's cellphone revealed it to be Azul. "I want to know more about your powers! Like, are you guys superheroes or something?"

"Or something," Crystal replied.

Metaphoric hearts could be seen in Gold's eyes. "Oh wow, you're hot!"

_SLAM! _Another kick to the shins. Crystal sighed. "Guess it can't be helped, we do owe you an explanation of a sorts."

Azul clapped. "Awesome!"

Soul smiled with her. "I know! Secret Base, here we come!"

...

...

* * *

*_ Hoshino: Japanese meaning star fields._

**_ Soccer: Or to people unfamiliar with American term, football_

* * *

**Omake: **

_A mission earlier in the year..._

Gold, Silver, Crystal, and Soul were making their way towards the Goldenrod City Radio Tower each for their own reason. Gold wanted to see his beloved DJ Mary, Crystal was asked by the Director for a favor, Soul was requested as a guest speaker for a program, and Silver was forced to tag along with nothing else to do.

Then Team Rocket just had to invade the place while the quartet was in the building. This resulted in splitting the group into twos.

"Gold, do I really have to do this?" Soul questioned Gold, as she fidgeted in her female grunt attire.

"Don't worry!" Gold said. "Just think of this as one of your cosplay outfit."

"Says the guy who could just make himself look like a grunt." Well, at least the black hat with the red ribbon was cute.

"Intruders alert! A red head and a blue-haired female were reported on Floor 2!" a voice rang.

Gold grinned. "Ah, looks like that's our cue. Follow the crowd!"

* * *

One situation led to another and soon, the still disguised Gold and Soul were face-to-face with Crystal and Silver, an awkward silence hanging in the air at the confrontation between them. Oh, and other genuine grunts were surrounding the two as well.

"Soul... how could you?" Silver trailed.

"Soul, um, who's this girl you're talking about? I'm no Soul."

"Liar," Silver declared, fists shaking in fury and hair shadowing his expression. "I know your dumb face anywhere."

"Whoa, boy, this is our new grunt," Gold said who, sadly, still looked like a grunt to everyone.

Crystal suddenly realized who the grunt was and what Soul was planning to do. "Wait, Silv-"

Silver only saw red. "You, be a grunt? No way, I can't believe you of all people would believe in the crap blurted by these imbeciles! You're strong enough as it is, but I guess I was wrong if you look like them. Still, you shouldn't wear these vile clothes!"

"Wait, Silver! This is all a misunderstandin- W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! SILVER, YOU PERVERT!"

On that day, the quartet learned about two things: Soul can kick as hard as Crystal, if not harder when she's pissed, and Silver was not asexual as the group believed.

Soul was scarred that day, and Silver...?

He blamed the blush on his developing hormones.

...

...

* * *

**A/N: Update! Update! Get your update while it's still fresh off the press! MC here, and boy was this chapter fun to write. So we get the different view of Operation Magnet Train, and this is so much different from the last chapter, right? Some things are cleared up and you can see some overlapping of the two. Plus I couldn't resist on the Omake, it was too good to not use! Soulsilver shippers, here you go~ **

**Anyway, Crystal and Soul are introduced! On this topic, let me give you details on Executive Carr as well. Carr is the short guy from the FR/LG saga, and my impression of him at first was an annoying, greedy brat with an unhealthy obsession of bombs. And I still do if you could tell by my writing. That's the end of The Two Beasts, and you read right, two! I have something special planned for Sird... Soul! My interpretation of her is... a dramatic, otaku, slight female Gold, charming, and most importantly - a cry baby. To sum it all up, a normal girl with a celebrity status. Because the character dynamics for the manga cast are so good, and I don't want another brave hero nor a Blue-clone. So Soul is going to represent 'normal' and hopefully not Mary-Sue. For me, Crystal is a coolheaded, hardworking, no nonsense girl that gets annoyed specifically by Gold.**

**Thank you stealthclaw for your thoughtful review and Guest Mi-chan at your enthusiasm! You guys made my mornings, and to think people actually read my A/N and consider the questions, I'm so happy...! Hope I can write to exceed your satisfactions. Virtual cookies to you guys, actually, to everyone who reads Project Y! But to be fair, their cookies are larger ;) Question Time!**

**Answer: Anime/game May. And Yellow, even before I knew he was a she. Cross dressing was just a bonus.**

**Question: Favorite literature genre? And manga is definitely literature no matter who says otherwise!**

**Next time! We're back to Green's POV as he wakes up from the land of sleep and an explanation is given. Well, sort-of. Sadly H.S. is starting in few days so my FF would be kept extremely limited. I promise you I'll do my best to upload as soon as I can, though you can check my profile under the story name to find the status of latest chapter! I'll try to update that weekly, unless nothing changes... Favorites, alerts, and reviews are all appreciated, they just make me smile like an idiot. I accept all with criticism on the side, I would love to hear your thoughts! Hope you enjoy reading this, and have a nice day, everyone!**

**EDIT: End edit of Chapter 1-4 in grammar and formatting. Sorry for not updating, usually I hate notifying people of story changes unless an update is with it. But this story will be going slowly and I wanted to show my current progression on things. Check my profile Updates for more details, but just to show this story is not dead no matter whatever else I'll be working on. Until then, have a good day, everyone!**


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